Xylophone and like instrument.



R. HOPE-JQNES; DECD. C. HOFE-IONESI- TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATRIX.

XYLOPHONE AND LIKE INSTRUMENT.

AFPL'ICATION FILED NOV. 14'. 1914.

1,283,774. Patented Nov. s, 1918.

Qbmmo y [ill/MOI! CZECmSEd I a: fliwxw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT HOPE-J ONES, DECEASED, LATE OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, BY CECIL HOPE-J ONES, TEMPORARY ADMIN ISTRATRIX, OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

XYLOPHONE AND LIKE INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed November 14, 1914. Serial No. 872,182.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ROBERT Horn-Jones, deceased, late of North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Xylophones and like Instruments; and the following is hereby declared to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon. a

The object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the parts are arranged compactly, without sacrifice of efliciency in operation. To this and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of a musical instrument constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the invention is shown as applied to a Xylophone consisting of the usual bars 1, of graduated length arranged side by side and resting at their nodal points on strips 2 of felt or other material, carried on the upper side of a casing A, and prevented from being displaced by pins 3. The casing A is formed of the upper and lower sides 5 and 6, the edge wall 7 and 8 and an end wall 9, and is divided into a series of tubes B by separating walls or partitions 10, which are located at points opposite the spaces between the bars 1.

The edges of the side walls 5 and 6 preferably converge on lines coincident with the ends of the bars 1, and said side walls also converge slightly in the direction of the shorter end of the casing, with the result that the tubes are of the required dimensions for sympathetic vibration with the respective bars 1.

The side wall 5 is provided with apertures 12, opening into the tube adjacent the end wall 9, the opposite ends of the tubes'being closed if desired by plugs 13 adjustable by,

volume of the tone produced is dependent upon the amplitude of movement of the bars 1, which is increased by gradually reducing the thickness of their end portions 15 as shown in Fig. 3.

A musical instrument constructed in accordance with the invention is efficient in operation and occupies small space owing to the fact that the air tubes are arranged side by side and the vibratory bars are practically coextensive therewith.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination with a casing, divided by separating walls into a series of tubes, the casing having an end wall closing the ends of the tubes. and one side wall of the casing being provided with a series of apertures opening into the several tubes adjacent the end wall, of a series of vibratory bars each supported at nodal points on the side wall and extending over one of the apertures, the portions of the bars arranged over said apertures diminishing in thickness toward said end wall.

2. The combination with a casing, having converging upper and lower walls, with con verging front and rear edges, partitions dividing the casing into a plurality of tubes and an end wall closing one end of each of the tubes, said upper wall having a plurality of apertures opening into the several tubes adjacent the end wall, of a plurality of vibratory bars, supported at nodal points on the upper wall of the casing and the portions of the bars arranged over said apertures diminishing in thickness toward said end wall.

CECIL HOPE-J ONES, Temporary administratm'w of the estate of Robert H ope-J ones, deceased.

Witnesses:

JOHN LARKIN, RICHARD J. LYNCH.

copies or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 2mm, Washington, D. G. 

